Ian Wright has strongly disagreed with Gary Neville’s comments after the former Manchester United star urged the Premier League to reject Arsenal’s request to postpone their clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
On Friday, the Gunners had requested to call off the north London derby this weekend due to the dearth of players. The club informed that the reasons for their absence were due to Covid, injuries, and players being away on national duty.
Arsenal’s only known absentee due to Covid is Martin Odegaard, while Granit Xhaka is suspended after receiving a red card at Anfield. Cedric Soares, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Emile Smith Rowe are all doubtful for Sunday over injury concerns.
The Premier League’s latest Covid-19 guidelines state that clubs must play a game if they can field 13 outfield players. A decision on the Emirates club’s request for rescheduling is set to be taken on Saturday.
Neville believes the game should go ahead as per schedule. He explains that the Premier League clubs have to play their matches regardless of the difficulties imposed on the squad by Covid and other factors. The 46-year-old took to Twitter to express his thoughts. He Tweeted:
“I repeat this is not about Arsenal but all teams should be made to play from now on in the PL and EFL. Also why has the decision been delayed until today when the request was last night at 6.30pm. Fans will be setting off from all over the place and will be in limbo!”
However, Ian Wright completely disagrees with Neville’s view on the matter. He accused Neville of not caring for the players or the fans, but just desires for the Super Sunday on Sky Sports to go ahead. Here is the Arsenal legend’s reply:
“FROM NOW ON” 😂 😳
It’s not about Arsenal or the fans. It’s about no more Super Sunday on Sky! https://t.co/wQgt3vYXjy
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) January 15, 2022
Arsenal Fever View:
There have been 20 League games postponed this season because of Covid. The PL board assesses a number of factors before a decision is made. And ultimately it comes down to the safety of the players and the supporters. So, the Sky Sports pundit is at fault for urging the board to reject the request while risking the safety of everyone involved in the game.
The north Londoners had faced a similar situation at the start of this campaign when they missed several players due to Covid. However, they simply had to continue as per schedule. This unfavorable situation played a significant part in their miserable start to the season. Therefore, if the situation is severe, the game must be rescheduled.
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